Episode 1599 (10 April 1998)
Synopsis Kathy starts off in a weird dream sequence where she's forced by prison warder Pat to choose between all the men she's ever had, although we only see the first kissed and first rapist and then the six or so from Pete onwards. The final three are Phil, Grant and Alex. She wakes up from the nightmare without deciding which one she wants. Alex is having trouble writing what he calls the most important sermon of the year, and Sarah keeps pestering him about Kathy, so isn't helping. Peggy is also moaning about Kathy, and she tells Grant that she will go to see Kathy, while he goes to see Phil. Grant says he thought Peggy wanted her to stay. Peggy twigs that this is an insult but ignores it. At Kathy's, she's finally packing and she tells Lorna that she is now welcome to Phil, as they are a pair of sad no-hopers and suit each other. Lorna asks why she's turning on her, and Kathy says it's all because of her being a marriage wrecker. Lorna says there's something on the side for Kathy but if she doesn't want it she can bin it. Kathy opens it to find a St Christopher. Dot, in her typical hypocritical way, tells Mark off for selling goods on the day Jesus died, then buys some vegetables for herself. Later she visits the church and asks Sarah if Alex is OK, as she thought he'd be upset at Kathy leaving. Sarah looks aghast and asks her why, and Dot says she thought Sarah would have known, being so close to Alex, as she has known since January. Annie tells Ros to cancel her plans for this afternoon, as they are going to pay a visit to prison. There John Valecue walks in and Annie says to Ros "He doesn't look like a malicious sadist bastard does he, but then neither do I." Annie tells him they have many mutual acquaintances, and points out a couple of the nastier ones in the prison visiting room. She says they'd do anything for her father, and he'd do anything for her. So, although he says he's up for parole in 10 years, he might be spending those years in ward 43. She adds that if he is thinking of asking for a transfer, her father is similarly well-connected in any place he'd be going. Grant sulks about Kathy and when Tiffany nags him, he gets so annoyed he punches the banister and breaks a couple of posts after telling Tiffany that her whining voice is annoying him. He says he is going out to get something to repair it, and visits Kathy. He tells her he needs to talk to her, and then says "Don't go, or if you do, come away with me." Kathy is astounded at this proposal, and the doorbell rings as she's speechless. It's Alex asking to talk to her, so she tells him she has Grant there so he can't come in and she will see him later in the café. She returns to Grant, who begs her to let him come with her, and says he knows she feels the same about him - remember Paris. Kathy replies that she was drunk. Grant says she can have time to think about it, and he'll be waiting at the tube station at 2pm. The next event of Kathy's fun-packed day is to wander over to the café to meet Alex. He appears unromantic and boringly proposes to her, saying he will give up the church. Before she can give an answer, Mark comes into the café and sits down uninvited at the table to say good bye to Kathy. Alex looks horrified and frustrated and asks her to give him her answer later. She promises to come to the church to see him about it, and Alex returns to church to write his sermon, briefly interrupted by Lorna who's still wandering around seeking sympathy and attention. Alex tells her it's not a good time and when she persists, he insists he's far too busy to talk to her and leaves her standing. Meanwhile, Lorna arrives to invite Phil to a flat-warming in her new one-room hovel. He tells her in no uncertain terms that he has no intention of associating with her. She tells him that he won't get a better offer, and she knows he still loves Kathy, so he can sit and talk about her and close his eyes and pretend it's her if he likes. She adds the ironic thing is that Kathy doesn't know he still loves her, and he's too scared to tell her. In the café, Pat asks Kathy what that was all about, and Kathy can't wait to tell her the flattering and amusing day's news. She tells Pat to get cover and they'll discuss it in private. Pat appears and they sit and chat. Kathy reminisces about Pete, and says she has never visited his grave, so they both decide to do so. There are fresh flowers there from Pauline, and both women feel slightly guilty they had so easily forgotten ignored their ex-husband. Pat justifies herself saying that neither of them was married to him when he died after all. Kathy smugly tells Pat the day's events - Alex proposing to her and Grant asking her to go away with him. Pat is astonished, especially at the latter. Kathy says it's a shame because it's just Phil who hasn't shown any emotion about her leaving, and if he asked her to go back to him she would. Peggy has finally succeeded in hassling Phil into going to visit Kathy. She tells him to tell Kathy he loves her and Ben and wants her back. Phil arrives, but doesn't manage to say any of it, even though Kathy keeps on pushing him to say more. He doesn't bother enough and leaves, whereupon Kathy starts crying and wailing that she gave him a chance. Phil returns to Peggy's and pretends to Grant and Peggy that he begged Kathy to stay, but she wasn't interested. Grant listens eagerly to this, thinking that's one rival out of the running. Phil adds that he's not really interested as she'd been having an affair, and if she's had one she'll do it again, and he doesn't want to be the mug while she shags her way through the phone book. Grant asks who, and Phil tells him it's the vicar. Phil goes home, and has yet another visitor, it's Pat, who says that he must not tell Kathy she said this, but Kathy's thinking of staying because Alex asked her to marry him, but she really wants Phil, so if he wants her back, to go and ask her. Phil is furious and this seems to be the spur he needed. Pat says he can't see her now because she's just gone to Ian's for the last lunch with the kids, but come to see her afterwards. Meanwhile, Kathy's having lunch with Ian, and the kids are sulking and being generally irritating expecting Cindy, and they keep asking when she'll be here. Kathy boasts to Ian about Alex asking her to marry him, and Ian, after the initial surprise, tells her that she doesn't have to go just because he bought her the ticket, if she's having second thoughts, and wants to stay, then she should do whatever she wants to. She asks Ian just to try to get on with Alex when she's gone. Simultaneously, Lorna goes back to her hovel, and gets out a litre of gin and a bottle of pills. Lorna appears on Phil's doorstep at just before 2pm, as he is about to go to Kathy's for a last attempt at asking her to stay. She pushes past him, goes in and locks herself in the bathroom. Phil is trying to get her out and break down the door, while desperately thinking that Kathy will be leaving for the airport soon. He goes outside and sees Grant just about to jump in his car, all packed and ready to go to the tube station. He shouts for Grant to come and help him, and Grant is just as annoyed at being interrupted as Phil was. They both attack the door, break in and find Lorna in the bath having taken the pills. Meanwhile at Kathy's, Pat tells her that Phil is expected because she mentioned Alex's proposal. Kathy tries to call Phil, but it's engaged because at the house, Grant is calling an ambulance. Kathy resigns her self, saying she is finally doing what she wants, and she's fed up with waiting on men all her life. At Phil's, the ambulance people tell them they have to come with them to tell them the background to the case and Lorna is still alive, just. Phil says he's busy and has something very important to do. They give the obviously sarcastic reply that this isn't? Phil and Grant wait impatiently at the hospital, and Phil tells Grant that he wants to give him some advice, however bad he thinks his marriage is, to stick with it, because he has a wife and lovely girl. The nurse tells them that Lorna seems to be OK now, and only one of them needs to stay, so Grant lets Phil go, and he rushes off, as fast as London traffic will allow, to try to catch Kathy at the airport. Pat has seen Kathy off in a cab to City airport, and Kathy, who never got time to talk to Alex has left him a note attached to her door. Meanwhile, at Ian's, Cindy and Nick arrive to pick up the children. When Ian gives them a last hug on the doorstep, DCI Masonthe old Scottish policeman, who knew all along that Cindy arranged to shoot Ian, appears from around the corner, and he looks extremely pleased as he says "Don't you remember me?", and announces that he's arresting Cindy for conspiracy to murder. Nick looks shocked, and says he'll follow them. So, while everything is happening at the airport, Nick visits Cindy in the cell and she asks where the solicitor is that he was supposed to call. Nick replies that it must have slipped his mind, but the duty guys are really quite good, he's heard. Cindy is shocked and Nick says he doesn't like being made a fool of, and she's lied to him, but on the bright side, she'll probably only get 8-10 years as it's her first offence, and he would visit her but those places give him the creeps. "So, goodbye, sweetheart, see you - or rather I won't." Cindy jumps up, and screams what about his baby, and Nick says it's your baby and turns to go. Cindy screams "You spineless git, you're the only man who ever made Ian look interesting, and the only good thing about you was the size of your wallet, and the first thing I was going to do was dump you anyway." Meanwhile, back in the square, Ian looks bemused, and Annie and Ros turn up looking pleased to explain it all to him. Somehow, Ian manages to get the explanation, find a babysitter and also turn up at the airport to tell Kathy the news. Jeff is comforting Alex, having read the goodbye note from Kathy, and takes him to the Vic. Grant returns from hospital and apologises to Tiffany for being rude to her earlier, and then tells Alex that he knows what he's been doing to his brother's wife and he should hit him, but Lorna is in hospital, and for some reason which escapes him, she's asking for him. Ian and Kathy have a tearful farewell scene, and she goes through the departure gates, just as Phil rushes in. Ian sees him and stops him, saying he's too late. Phil says he'll hit Ian if he doesn't let go, and Ian says go on then, that's your answer to everything and the reason she's leaving you. Ian says if Phil really loves her, then he'll do what's best for her: let her go and start a new life for herself. Phil doesn't have a choice anyway, and he watches her walk up the steps to the plane. Credits Main cast *Gillian Taylforth as Kathy *Steve McFadden as Phil *Ross Kemp as Grant *Richard Driscoll as Alex *Leslie Schofield as Jeff *Pam St. Clement as Pat *Adam Woodyatt as Ian *Michelle Collins as Cindy *Dominic Taylor as Nick *Martine McCutheon as Tiffany *Barbara Windsor as Peggy *Janet Dibley as Lorna *Melanie Clark Pullen as Mary *Nadia Sawalha as Annie *C.P. Grogan as Ros *June Brown as Dot *Todd Carty as Mark *Daniela Denby-Ashe as Sarah *Roberta Taylor as Irene *Paul Moriarty as George *Matthew Silver as Ben *Casey Anne Rothery as Lucy *Alex Stevens as Peter *Stuart Stevens as Steven *Steve Weston as John Valecue *Campbell Morrison as DS Mason *Michael Kirk as Airport Official *Rachel Gleaves as Paramedic Category:Episode Category:1998 Episodes Category:Episodes outside of broadcast patterns Category:Hour-long Episodes Category:Hour-long Episodes One Number Only